WILTSHIRE county council has increased its demand on council taxpayers by 3.9 per cent.

Councillors met last week to approve a budget of £409.6m, which will result in the average council tax bill going up by 60p a week.

People living in a band D property will now pay £885.42 a year to the county council, to help provide services including roads, education, social care for adults and young people, libraries and leisure opportunities.

On top of this figure, householders will pay precepts to Salisbury district council - whose demand is likely to go up by 4.8 per cent after councillors meet on February 21 - Wiltshire police and the fire service, and their parish or town council.

County council bosses say the increase will enable them to maintain standards, while spending more money to improve certain areas.

Schools are the big winners, with a 7.8 per cent rise in primary school budgets and 6.1 per cent more for secondary schools.

There will also be an additional £2.5m to meet the cost of looking after young children in care and those with complex needs.

Adult care will have an extra £2.4m in its budget to pay for increased demand in care-home placements and services.

Filling in potholes is high on the agenda, with £1m more available to improve the condition of minor roads across the county.

And efforts to increase the amount of recycled rubbish from 27.5 per cent to 33 per cent will be given a £1m boost, after the government put £700,000 towards the initiative.

Tory leader of the county council Jane Scott said: "I am pleased we have been able to set a council tax that is well under the government's target of five per cent increase, while maintaining some services and improving others.

"I am also pleased the government has abolished the ceilings mechanism that so disadvantaged Wiltshire over the past couple of years.

"We have listened to the public's wishes and are investing in those areas, particularly in roads and recycling.

"We are also investing to help those people in society in most need, older people, children in our care and children with special needs."

In addition to spending money on front-line services, the county council is also spending £2.8m on improving its computer systems and £1m is being allocated for the Invest and Save scheme, which aims to bring long-term savings for the county.

Police budget requires £6 more from householders

HOUSEHOLDERS in Wiltshire will have to pay an average of £6 more this year, to help foot the county's police budget.

The Wiltshire police authority last week agreed a revenue budget for 2005-6 of £92.6m, which it says should allow Wiltshire Constabulary to improve performance further, and help to ensure that Wiltshire remains the safest county in England and Wales.

Members of the authority heard that difficult choices would have to be made but that the budget would provide additional training and development for police officers and police staff, considerable improvements and investment in forensic science capabilities, and developments within IT to enhance the linking and sharing of information.

All these investments, members were told, would contribute towards keeping Wiltshire safe.

The budget includes efficiency savings of £1.58m, to be gleaned via the exploitation of new technology and some additional 'civilianisation', which will enable police officers to spend more time on front-line duties.

To fund the new budget, the force intends to use £430,000 from reserves, which is only possible for this financial year.

Some of the items covered within the 2005-6 budget include additional support to the domestic violence partnership and investment in a new vulnerable persons suite at Salisbury.

In order to fund the budget of £92.6m, the 2005/6 council tax element for policing services will equate to £126.63 for band D properties - an increase of 4.98 per cent (£6) from the previous year.

Bertie Woolnough, chairman of the police authority, said: "During recent months, crime levels in Wiltshire, including Swindon, have been the lowest of any county in England and Wales. This is excellent, and reflects our commitment to drive down crime even further.

"The authority recognises that this level of performance, which we aim to improve still further, requires appropriate investment and rigorous monitoring.

"We feel this budget will help us to deliver a high-quality service that is accessible, visible and provides reassurance to communities in Wiltshire."